Thumbs up, Thumbs down

Published 6:29 pm, Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Thumbs up to Joseph Kuntz, one of the good people out there, who has faced personal adversity with the same determination he brought to serving the city and his fellow man.

As told in a profile by Advocate reporter Kate King this week (http://bit.ly/XNvcDP), Kuntz, a longtime laboratory technician for the Stamford Health Department, faithfully blogged about his recovery from surgery to remove a large brain tumor, despite the fact that the condition left him with partial amnesia and double vision.

It was how he approached many things in life. In 33 years of working for the city, his investigations and published papers at times helped change policy, including for treatment systems for well water.

Jay Crutcher, a former spokesman for North Stamford Concerned Citizens for the Environment, said Kuntz was all about the work and what his findings meant for residents. He had no time for politics.

"He's really the ideal public servant," Crutcher said.

Away from work, Kuntz showed similar devotion to the community of Saint Luke's, where his service over decades has included helping to restore a chapel in the South End and running food co-op and mental illness services.

Kuntz retired in January, and plans to soon move south. During his years in the city of Stamford, he helped to make it a better place.

Thumbs down to a proposal that would end cross-endorsements in Connecticut elections.

Minor parties, including the Working Families and Independent parties, have gained recognition in recent years by cross-endorsing major-party candidates. This helps get their message out as well as builds credibility as legitimate political alternatives. More choice is preferable, and it's hard to see what is lost by allowing parties to endorse whatever candidates they choose. As Miles Rapoport, a former Connecticut secretary of state, put it in testimony last week, "I think this is a solution in search of a problem."

Also on the election front, thumbs up to bringing early voting to Connecticut.

Two bills to allow early voting in state and municipal elections are currently before the Legislature.

One would require that a municipal building be used for balloting for up to eight days before an election. The other would establish a pilot program for early voting during municipal elections.

"I strongly support early voting," said Secretary of the State Denise Merrill. "We need to modernize our voting practices. If a voter has made up their mind, why wait till (Election Day)? More than 30 other states have enacted early voting with great success."

The only potential drawback is cost. Best to pilot early voting to see if it presents some municipalities with financial burdens and, if so, how it can be avoided.

Thumbs up to the New York Yankees, who held a ceremony for the victims of Sandy Hook before their home opener on Monday. Newtown police and firefighters took part in the remembrance, which included a moment of silence, during which the names of the children and educators killed in the shooting were shown on a video screen.

The Associated Press reports that Major League Baseball asked all teams to wear patches in honor of the Newtown dead. Sports can be an escape; they can also unite us in ways that few other things can. This was a classy and thoughtful start to the new season.